Given to You

by Carlie Sexton

  Chapter 27

  Kate woke up bright and early with her stomach rumbling loudly. She had hardly touched her dinner the night before because of her excitement. She was surprised to find that Neil was already up, so she made her way to the bathroom to don her robe.

  She came out of the bathroom and proceeded to the kitchen area, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her worst nightmare sitting on the sofa…Roger…how had he gotten in and what had he done with Neil?

  She wanted to scream, but knew that this fine hotel would have sound-proofing, to ensure the privacy of its guests. Her brain kicked into overdrive as she tried to figure out what to do. She ran into the kitchen and grabbed a knife from the drawer. It wasn’t her weapon of choice, but it could get the job done if she had to defend herself.

  “What are you doing, Kate?” Roger said calmly. “You wouldn’t hurt me, would you? I’m the man that loves you, remember?”

  “Roger, what you feel for me isn’t love,” she said.

  Roger moved slowly toward Kate until he had her cornered. “I love your feistiness, but I want you to put the knife down now,” he said. “You could get hurt and we wouldn’t want that to happen.”

  “Roger, don’t come any closer. I will stab you if you take another step.”

  Roger smiled, took another step, and then wrapped his arm around Kate’s and applied pressure until she dropped the knife. He had the upper hand again. Kate slid down the cabinets to the floor, put her arms around her knees and began sobbing. He had not only disarmed her, he had stripped away her emotional strength.

  “Let’s go to the bedroom and get your things,” he said.

  “Neil’s going to be back any moment. You need to get out of here,” Kate tried to say convincingly, but her voice was trembling, not knowing if he had already killed Neil. She hoped that Neil had stepped out to get them breakfast or perhaps gone for a walk around the grounds. Where the hell was he and how did Roger get past security?

  Roger shook his head and said, “Neil isn’t going to bother us, Kate. I’ve taken care of everything. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

  Kate couldn’t move as fear anchored her feet to the floor. She felt defeated, devastated. Was Roger telling the truth? Was Neil…dead? She was in agony. She slowly rose, walked past him to make her way to the bedroom. When she thought she was beyond his reach, she decided to run to the bathroom and lock the door behind her. But Roger caught her leg and tripped her, causing her to fall. He then pulled her toward him and turned her over. He hovered over her and said, “Enough. Stop trying to defy me. You’re going to do what I say.”

  Kate swallowed hard and looked into his dark eyes. Her throat was dry. She managed a nod. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be real. Neil had done everything in his power to protect her, but it wasn’t enough.

  Roger pulled Kate up and nudged her toward the bedroom. When she reached the door, Kate turned and kneed him in the balls. He fell like a tree being cut down in the forest. She made it to the bedroom and locked the door behind her. She ran to the nightstand and grabbed the phone, but there was a busy signal. Roger must have taken the phone in the living room off the hook. Her cell phone was in her purse in the living room. Roger began pounding on the door. He must have been ramming himself against it with his entire body just like the shark rammed against the boat in Jaws. Kate could see the casing begin to give. Suddenly, the door shattered open and there stood Kate’s dad. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

  “Dad! What are you doing here?”

  “Kate, you know what you have to do to be free. Do it now.”

  Kate sat up in bed, soaked in sweat from head to toe, tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked around the room, expecting to find Roger standing over her. She was completely alone and relieved that she had been dreaming. It was the most excruciating dream she’d ever had. It was seven a.m. . Kate instinctively reached for Neil, but he wasn’t in bed with her. She picked up her phone and called Henderson, who was stationed outside the door. He answered on the first ring.

  “Is everything okay, Mrs. Statton?”

  “Yes. I was just checking in with you. Anything going on out there?”

  “No. All is quiet. Porter just checked in. He has been patrolling the building and nothing is out of the ordinary.”

  “Okay. Thank you,” Kate said and hung up the phone. She didn’t want to explain that she’d had a nightmare and was freaking out. Kate got up to go to the bathroom to get a wet washcloth, hoping that wiping her face would help somehow. Unable to shake the fear she had experienced in her dream, she sat on the edge of the bathtub and cried. This experience was a thousand times worse than the shark attack dream that she had from time to time. After taking a moment to regroup, she began looking for Neil. He was out onto the balcony. She knew that the dream had originated deep in her subconscious.

  Her dad’s appearance at the end was puzzling. What had he said? Something about knowing what to do to be free; as if in real life, Roger was in control of the dream and she was reacting to him? He was always in control. She was tired of him manipulating her life. Maybe her brain was trying to tell her she needed to figure out how to take control. But how?

  Neil was sitting on the balcony bundled up in the big fluffy robe that the hotel provided. When Kate saw him, she began to cry again. The dream had been too much to take and she just wanted to be in the arms of the man she loved.

  “Baby, what are you doing up so early?”

  “I could ask you the same thing,” she said.

  “I couldn’t sleep so I decided to watch the sun rise. It’s a beautiful morning,” he said. “Why are you crying?”

  Kate sat on her husband’s lap and the tears streamed down her cheeks like a floodgate had been opened. She told Neil about her vivid dream and her dad’s cryptic message at the end.

  “What do you think that means?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, baby. It seems like your survival instincts kicked in and you wanted to defend yourself by grabbing the knife,” he said, hugging her tightly. “Maybe your subconscious was telling you that you might have to defend yourself. This might require a session with Dr. Cox.”

  “You’re right. I’ll do a phone session with him before we leave for Maui. You don’t think Roger will be able to find us there, do you.”

  “No, baby. The security team has swept all of the cars for GPS trackers. They didn’t find any. They will make sure we aren’t followed to the airport,” he said, trying to reassure her. “He has no idea that we are married or going on our honeymoon in Maui.”

  “It will be a relief to go somewhere where Roger can’t find us. I’m happy to have a break from security following us everywhere. I can’t stand feeling like my life is not my own.”

  Neil brushed the hair out of Kate’s face. “Let’s go back to bed and celebrate our life together. I want to make you forget everything but you and me.”

  Chapter 28

  Kate and Neil boarded the plane and made themselves at home in first class. The flight attendant handed them each a glass of champagne after they had settled into their seats.

  “Here’s to an unbelievable honeymoon, baby,” Neil said as he clinked Kate’s glass.

  “All I care about is spending time with you. It doesn’t matter where we do it, but I’m really excited about Maui,” she said with a content sigh.

  “Wait until you see the place we’re staying,” he said. “It’s going to be amazing.”

  The flight attendant announced that they were ready for take-off and Kate took Neil by the hand. “I always hate taking off. It’s worse than landing.”

  “It’s going to be fine, my beauty. Traveling by plane is much safer than by car,” he said. “You don’t have anything to worry about. Leave all of your concerns at home.”

  “There is a concern that I want to talk about…Laura.”

  “I know.”

  “What exactly happened? Did she just bless me with her presence or did she p
ay you a visit as well? You stormed the suite, so I kind of figured she went to see you first.”

  Neil sighed heavily. “In a nutshell, she came to ask me to leave you and be with her.”

  “I see. How are you planning on handling the situation with her?”

  “She offered to resign, but I foolishly told her to forget the whole thing. But, since she went to confront you, I have to do something.”

  “She needs to seek other employment, because loving you like she does is only going to be painful for her and uncomfortable for you. I’d just hate for her to suffer seeing you every day,” Kate said and then smiled.

  “Why are you smiling?” Neil asked with one brow lifted.

  “I was just thinking that if I came in during lunch for a ‘Neil fix,’ listening to the noises we make; well, that would be quite cruel. Hot for me, but cruel for her.”

  Neil’s mind of course went off on its own tangent, pondering all of the places he could christen with Kate’s sweet ass.

  Kate put her hand on Neil’s forearm. “Baby?”

  “Well, you can imagine where my mind went as you described a lunchtime visit… but yes, she needs to find other employment. I’ll call a few firms to see if they have a spot for her before I accept her resignation.”

  Then, Neil looked deep into Kate’s eyes. “You know where my heart lives don’t you Kate?”

  “Yes, I do, Neil. With mine.”

  Neil picked up Kate’s hand and kissed it. “Why don’t you close your eyes and relax? I want you to be fully rested when we arrive in Maui.”

  “That’s a good idea. I haven’t been sleeping very well and I’m exhausted. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

  “No, baby. All good.”

  Kate closed her eyes. The last time she had flown was to her dad’s funeral. Memories of that trip caused emotions to well up inside of her. She decided to push those feelings away and concentrate on her husband and their honeymoon. She knew he had made special plans for their honeymoon. His romantic gestures were so sweet, and making her feel special was something he had done consistently since their first date. Within minutes, she drifted off to sleep.

  ***

  Neil watched his beautiful bride sleeping. He knew that she was worried about Wilkins and he couldn’t blame her. Roger had evaded the police for a long time and he had no idea if they were going to find him or if he and Kate would have to keep a security team for years to come. He had bought a gun and planned on teaching Kate how to shoot when they returned home. He also planned on signing them up for some sort of martial arts class, so if he ever breached security, Kate would have a chance to defend herself and run. Outside of that, he didn’t know what else to do. It pained him to think that Kate could be taken or worse. He would do everything to protect her—even give up his own life.

  Neil touched Kate’s arm when it was time for lunch. She had slept peacefully and woke up feeling rejuvenated. “How long was I out for?” she asked.

  “About two hours, I think. We’re over half way to Maui.”

  “Oh, I can’t believe I slept that long. What time will it be when we land?”

  “About seven. We’ll pick up our rental car and head over to the place we’re staying.”

  “So, where are we staying?” she asked. “The Four Seasons?”

  “No. I’m not telling and ruining the surprise. You’re just going to have to wait and see,” Neil said, lifting her hand and kissing it.

  Kate rolled her eyes. “You are incorrigible, Mr. Statton. I promise not to ask any more questions. I’ll let you surprise me.”

  Neil’s smile broadened. “I’m glad we got that straightened out. It’s going to knock your socks off. That’s all you need to know right now.”

  “You already did that a long time ago,” Kate said, suggestively rubbing her hand up and down Neil’s leg.

  “I aim to please, Mrs. Statton. Expect the unexpected for the rest of your life,” he said. “I know that I am blessed to have a second chance at love and I want every moment we have together to be better than the last. We both know that life is too short not to squeeze every moment of happiness out of it.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” she said.

  ***

  Roger was checking in at the airport for a flight that departed three hours later than Kate’s. In an attempt to not cross paths with Neil or his security team, he decided to fly out much later than they did. He checked his luggage, because the drugs he was going to use on Neil were in his bag and he didn’t want to explain to the TSA agent what they were for. He wanted as little attention as possible. He wore a baseball cap and didn’t make eye contact with anyone.

  Roger made it to his gate with plenty of time to spare. This was going to be great. Once he got rid of Neil, he and Kate could enjoy Maui for the duration of the time Neil had booked the honeymoon. He knew that he and Kate would have an amazing time hanging out on the beach and doing all of the touristy activities that Maui had to offer; way more exciting than what he had planned for Big Bear. It was good that they would have alone time without Jacob, especially at the beginning of their relationship.

  He had discovered where Jacob was staying, and planned to pick him up on their way out of the country. With Neil bankrolling their trip, they would be traveling in style and his son would want for nothing. He mentally congratulated himself for the brilliant plans he’d devised. Often, they just came to him and then usually worked out. He had already created new identities for himself, Kate and Jacob. They would be the Robinson family. He liked the sound of that and knew Jacob would be able to handle the transition.

  ***

  Neil parked the car in the circular driveway of the estate where they would be spending the next ten days. One of his clients owned this home and had offered it as a wedding gift for their honeymoon. The home was exquisite and Kate was rendered speechless.

  “You’ve done it again,” she said as she surveyed the lush tropical landscape. “I’m in awe. How did you find this beautiful place?”

  “It belongs to a client. When he offered it to us I couldn’t accept fast enough. I wanted to make sure we had plenty of privacy. We have our own pool and a private beach.”

  “I love the sound of that, Mr. Statton. I think skinny dipping is in our immediate future,” Kate said, waggling her eyebrows.

  “You can count on it, baby.”

  Neil took their luggage out of the trunk and they proceeded toward the beautiful double glass doors. The etching on the glass was an amazing underwater scene with sea turtles and other creatures. Neil unlocked the door, set the suitcases inside, and then picked up his bride to carry her over the threshold. Kate found the light switch. She wanted to take a look around, but Neil whisked her up the stairs and straight to the master bedroom.

  “We can look around later. Right now, I want to ravish your beautiful body,” he said, placing her gently on the chaise lounge chair, adjacent the bed.

  “Right here?” Kate asked, patting the chaise.

  “Yeah. I really enjoyed myself when we test drove the one I bought for your study.“

  Kate laughed and said, “Me, too. You really know your way around a chaise.”

  Neil had their clothes off in a matter of seconds. He took one of Kate’s feet in his hand and traced the arch with his index finger. Kate squirmed a little. Neil smiled. “Fuck, baby you turn me on so much. Every inch of your delectable, kissable, fuckable body. You need ravishing. Now.”

  With that, Neil’s mouth was on Kate’s ankle. He began licking and sucking his way up her leg, toward her thigh. Kate groaned as he made his way toward the apex of her thighs and her drenching wet core, already eager for her man. Neil bypassed her sex and nipped at her hips, moving toward her abdomen. He found her right breast and slowly moved his way toward her nipple, trailing kisses as he made his way there. He tugged on Kate’s nipple slightly, causing it to rise up to meet his hungry mouth. As Neil continued to suck Kate’s breast, his hand made its way to her wet heat. His
magic finger went to work on her clit while his tongue continued to captivate her nipple. He continued to work his sexual magic until Kate screamed out in ecstasy.

  Neil repositioned them when Kate returned to her senses. He was now stretched out on the chaise and Kate was straddling him while he kissed her wildly. His hands grabbed her hips and he lifted her onto his hardened mass. Kate slid onto him with ease and began grinding up and down while he continued stroking her tongue with his. Neil had one hand in her hair while his other hand tugged at her nipple. Kate continued to move up and down until Neil moaned, choking out her name as he filled her with all that he had. He kissed her tenderly and she stayed on top of him for a few moments, their arms wrapped around each other. He kissed her neck, down to her shoulder, continuing all the way to her hand. They whispered, “I love you” to each other and held on, not wanting the moment to end. Neil kissed Kate’s other hand and said, “Why don’t I show you around, what will be your palatial home for the next ten days?”

  Kate nodded enthusiastically and got up. They put on matching bathrobes and Neil showed Kate around the fabulous beach home. Every room they entered was more amazing than the one before. They unpacked and made their way out to the hot tub for a midnight soak.

  ***

  Roger was tired when his plane landed. He rented a car and found a motel about thirty minutes from where Kate was staying. He would do recon tomorrow and make his move tomorrow night. Neil would never see him coming. It would be easier than taking candy from a baby.

  Chapter 29

  The sun shone through the terrace doors, waking Kate and Neil from a restful slumber.

  “Good morning, Mrs. Statton,” Neil said. He was wearing a huge smile on his face. “I love calling you that. I might never call you Kate again.”

  Kate laughed. “That would be fine with me, Mr. Statton,” she said. “I adore having your name as mine.”

  Neil pulled his bride into his arms and kissed her. “Up for an instant replay of last night?”

  “With you, any time, Mr. Statton.”